Laclede County Reports Missouri's First West Nile Virus Death of 2012
By: Melissa Stern
Updated: August 27, 2012
Gena Terlizzi, Public Information officer for the Department of Health and Senior Services, tells KOLR10 News the man came down with symptoms July 25.
The West Nile Virus was confirmed in laboratory testing. Federal health privacy laws prohibit the state from identifying the man.
Terlizzi says Missouri has recorded seven probable and confirmed cases for 2012. One of those cases had an illness onset of 2011 but was not reported until 2012.
Click here to see the state's West Nile summary as of August 20, 2012
In Arkansas, public health officials Friday confirmed a second West Nile Virus death in the state, just two days after recording its first death.
The Arkansas Department of Health says there are 23 cases in all across the state, up from 15 on Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) report there have been at least 1,118 reported human cases nationwide, with at least 41 deaths.
This is the highest number of West Nile virus disease cases reported to CDC through the third week in August since West Nile virus was first detected in the United States in 1999.
Approximately 75 percent of the cases have been reported from five states: Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Dakota, and Oklahoma; and almost half of all cases have been reported from Texas.
Although there have been more cases of West Nile Virus reported than ever before, there have been no confirmed cases in Greene County since 2008.
"They don't really test for it anymore because we consider it to just be pretty endemic and it just happens that this year there are more cases of it," says Mike Brothers, Public Information Administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
The numbers could be up for many reasons: the restriction of certain pesticides, the humidity, or other risk factors that cause someone to have a more severe form of West Nile Virus.
"If you're an older person, a younger person, maybe if you've had some other issues with your immune system already, it could lead to something more severe," adds Brothers.
Researchers believe the virus is spread when a mosquito bites an infected bird and then bites a person. And they carry the highest amounts of virus in the early fall.
"Not all mosquitoes actually carry the virus," says Brian Pickens, owner of Expert Pest Solutions. "Actually very few do."
In any case, only about one in 150 people will have severe symptoms.
"Confusion, disorientation, extreme muscle aches, even coma, however I do want to stress that's less than 1 percent," says Brothers. About 20 percent of people will have mild symptoms. "Those will be more flu-like -- nausea, vomiting, some muscle aches, things like that."
And four out of five people won't have any symptoms.
"Most of that other one out of five are just going to get some mild symptoms that will pass kind of like the flu."
"Everything goes in steps," says Pickens. "It's not like you're going to get bit and then the next day you go into paralysis."
There are simple ways to avoid the virus, like removing any standing water.
"Something as small as a five-gallon bucket that's halfway full that can bring mosquitoes around your house and cause what seems like a severe problem," says Pickens. "It doesn't cost you anything to take those precautionary steps."
And if you think you have it, the likelihood of you dying from it is very slim.
"There's
really no actual specific medical treatment for West Nile Virus, but if you do
have those mild symptoms, it's a virus, you just need to ride it out,"
says Brothers, "If you're taking prevention methods and you're being
mindful, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
5 Things You Need to Know About West Nile
Courtesy: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1. Most mosquitoes do not carry West Nile. In areas where mosquitoes carry the virus, only about one in 500 mosquitoes is infected, according to the Connecticut Mosquito Management Program.
2. Most people bit by West Nile mosquitoes do not get sick. About 80% of people bit by a mosquito infected with the West Nile virus do not get sick, according to the CDC. About 20% will have relatively mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and vomiting. Symptoms can last for as short as a few days or as long as a few weeks. About one in 150 people infected with West Nile will develop a severe illness, which can include paralysis, coma or death.
3. You can help prevent West Nile with the "four Ds." Use mosquito repellent with DEET; dress in long pants and long sleeves; be especially careful at dusk and dawn; and drain any standing water, such as kiddie pools or bird fountains, where mosquitoes like to breed.
4. People over 50 are most vulnerable. Those older than 50 are the most likely to become severely ill with West Nile and should take special care to avoid mosquitoes, according to the CDC.
5. Seek medical care immediately if you have severe headaches or confusion. If you develop symptoms of severe West Nile virus illness, such as unusually severe headaches or confusion, seek medical attention immediately, according to the CDC. Severe illness usually requires hospitalization. Milder cases improve on their own and do not necessarily require medical attention.
